The chain-link along the bayfront north of the Van Wezel runs right through ground that used to be parking. The western edge of the lot north of the hall is closed. So is the Centennial Park parking lot. Between the Municipal Auditorium and the Art Center, a fenced work zone is being built into a new public Plaza. At the south edge of the Centennial Park boat basin, just north of 10th Street, a row of floating docks has been open to the public since February. Tying up there is free.
That gives The Bay an odd shape this winter. The park is harder to reach by car than it was a year ago and easier to reach by boat. Its first full restaurant is being planned around the water side too.
The anniversary month is close to an ordinary month
The Bay Park Conservancy is wrapping up "One Park FOUR All," its fourth-anniversary celebration, which runs Oct. 1 through Nov. 1 with more than 70 free events. The Conservancy also reported more than 1.2 million visits since the park opened in October 2022. With the Taste of The Bay Food Festival behind it on Oct. 25, the celebration has one signature event left. Best of The Bay Music Fest runs Sunday, Nov. 1, from 1 to 7 p.m., with regional performers and what the City of Sarasota's announcement calls "other special surprises."
The useful comparison is the park's normal pace. A 2026 Conservancy presentation puts The Bay at about 800 free events a year. That works out to roughly 67 a month, so the 70-plus anniversary events land close to a typical month. When the music fest ends on Nov. 1, the schedule stays about as full. The festival-style evenings go away, and the weekly classes and tours keep going.
The bigger change for winter visits is getting in and parking.
Where the fence line runs, and where to park instead
The Conservancy's park notices and closures page, updated Sept. 30, 2026, lists the current Phase 2B closures and the free parking still open:
- Closed: the western edge of the parking lot just north of the Van Wezel and the Centennial Park parking lot, both for resilient shoreline work
- Closed: the area between the Municipal Auditorium and the Art Center, where the new Plaza is going in
- Free parking: the north side of Boulevard of the Arts, plus the lots in front of the Van Wezel and in front of the Municipal Auditorium, Art Center and Blue Pagoda
- Skip: designated Sarasota Orchestra parking areas and the south side of Boulevard of the Arts
The Conservancy posts a construction-period parking and walkway map that's worth a look before an evening class. Van Wezel Way stays open for walking and biking north to south. Park hours haven't changed: 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
People who launch trailered boats at Centennial Park should note one thing. The City lists the park with three double-lane boat ramps and a canoe and kayak launch, but the Centennial Park parking lot that normally serves the ramps is on the closed list. Call the City before you hitch up the trailer.
How long the fencing stays up depends on which document you read. The Conservancy FAQ says Phase 2 construction should be finished by the end of 2026. The City's September anniversary release says Phase 2 completion is expected in 2027. A Conservancy presentation from this summer marks The Plaza "Coming Soon" and "To be Completed: 2027." An earlier spring forecast had Town Square and Van Wezel Way finished this October. Plan the winter around the fence still being up.
The boat basin is now the easiest way in
The parking lots have shrunk, but the water side has opened up. The floating day docks on the south side of the Centennial Park boat basin are meant, in the Conservancy's words, to give "short-term access to the City of Sarasota and to The Bay park site from the water." The Conservancy designed and built them. City of Sarasota Parks & Recreation runs and maintains them, and the City's Parking Division enforces the time limits.
These are the City's posted guidelines from the Conservancy's opening notice in February 2026:
| Day dock rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| Cost | Free at this time; the notice says fees may come later |
| Time limit | Five hours, strictly enforced, with citations for overstays |
| Vessel size | Up to 40 feet |
| Capacity | First come, first served; designed for 13 or more boats of about 26 feet |
| Not allowed | Jet skis, personal watercraft, kayaks, paddleboards, pedal boats, dinghies |
| Hours | No docking from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., when the park is closed |
One layout detail matters when you pull in. There are no cleats on the section of dock directly across from the boat ramps. A working group recommended leaving that stretch open so boats have room to maneuver near the ramps. The docks float, so they rise and fall with the tide. That gives you a steadier step on and off than a fixed dock at low water.
Five hours covers a Sunday concert, a walk on the Mangrove Bayou Walkway and a stop at Nest Café. All three are Phase 1 features already open, along with Ibis Playground, The Oval, the Common Ground lawns and the ADA-accessible paddle launch. Kayaks and paddleboards can't use the day docks. They have their own launch.
The first restaurant is being planned beside that dock
The new restaurant site sits right next to the docks. Your Observer reported on Oct. 18 that project representatives met with Sarasota's Development Review Committee on Oct. 7 for a pre-application conference. The proposal is a 4,999-square-foot restaurant at the end of 10th Street, near the end of the floating day dock and across the basin from the boat launch. According to the Observer, that's one square foot under the 5,000-square-foot threshold that allows administrative site plan approval in the Bay Park Zone district.
"Today, we're before you to begin the process of permitting the 10th Street restaurant, which will be the first restaurant in The Bay," Philip DiMaria of project consultant Kimley-Horn told the panel, the Observer reported.
A few details from the same story fill in the picture.
- The operator is local. Venice Pier Group, which runs Sharky's On The Pier and Fins at Sharky's and has handled concessions at Sarasota County's Snook Haven Park, will run the restaurant.
- It may be the first of three. The Observer describes it as the first of potentially three restaurants planned for the center of the 53-acre site.
- The basin is getting more water access. The boat launch area across the basin has more improvements planned, including an additional boat ramp and more floating day docks.
- It helps pay for the park. The restaurant is part of the Canal District in Phase 2, and the Observer calls the commercial venture a key revenue source for long-term park operations.
A pre-application conference is the first step in permitting, so there's no opening date yet. The siting is settled, though. The Bay's first sit-down waterfront restaurant will have its own dock, and that dock is already open.
What keeps the park busy after Nov. 1
The weekly calendar is what carries the park after the anniversary. These are the recurring free sessions on The Bay's November 2026 calendar:
| Day | Morning | Evening |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Mat Pilates, 6 p.m. | |
| Tuesday | The Y: Primetime+, 7:30 a.m. | Bootcamp, 6 p.m. |
| Wednesday | Tai Chi/Qigong, 8 a.m. | |
| Thursday | The Y: Primetime+, 7:30 a.m. | Namaste yoga, 6 p.m. |
| Saturday | Bootcamp, 8 a.m.; yoga, 9 a.m. | |
| Sunday | Free local-music concert, 4:30 p.m. |
The free Ride and Paddle guided kayak tours run Nov. 6, 7, 13 and 14 from 9 to 11 a.m. Kayaks and life jackets are provided, the tours are listed as intermediate, and participants 12 and older are recommended. Registration opens four weeks ahead, so later dates show up on a rolling basis and cancellations can free up spots.
December's posted calendar so far has Salsa & Sunsets on Dec. 2, a free holiday movie Dec. 3, Zumba Dec. 9 and an architecture tour Dec. 11. Guided kayak tours are off Dec. 25 and 26. The big one is Holidays at The Bay on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 4 to 7:45 p.m. It's free, with Santa photos, crafts, storytime, a holiday performance, a mobile library and a screening of Toy Story 5. With two parking areas still closed, that evening is a good time to use the free spaces on the north side of Boulevard of the Arts or to come by boat and use the five-hour dock window.
If you own a bayfront condo or a home near the boat basin and you're deciding between renting it to snowbirds, renting it long term or keeping it for your own winters, the park's day-to-day calendar is part of what you're offering. Flota'cal Real Estate & Property Management works with Sarasota owners on all three options, and we're happy to walk through how being close to The Bay fits into your plans this season.
